


Death Note: Back At One

by Mysterie



Category: Death Note
Genre: Crime, Death, Deception, F/M, Moral Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 18:55:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3620613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/Mysterie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story was written years back when Death Note was still new. It is also a sequel of another story I have done ~ Death Note: Kira Returns</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Notice

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written years back when Death Note was still new. It is also a sequel of another story I have done ~ Death Note: Kira Returns

A soft breeze swirled around the capital building, it was aptly named the White House for that was exactly what it was... a house that was white; though throughout history the White House hadn't always been white nor had the capital always been Washington D.C. It seemed a normal day, people were bustling about as usual. Secretaries of various senators, of the president, and others were rushing about to finish tasks. At nearly every door near the oval office, and the doors to the room itself, were men and women in black suits with small headphones that acted as their communication system. A woman in black approached the oval office. She didn't look at anyone as she hustled forward to the room; the secret service guards didn't pay her any attention. She was one of them and they knew her on sight; that she carried a large white envelope didn't concern them one bit. The woman's heels clicked softly against the floor as she opened the doors and went inside where the president was sitting behind the oak desk that was near the window. A set of white sofas sat at angles ahead of the desk, but she didn't pay them any attention as she moved forward towards the desk, past the national seal that was on the floor and right up to the desk to a black, middle aged man who was looking over a document. He looked up at her approach.

"Mr. President, I think you should take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"An important document."

"Who sent it?"

"You just need to read it." She insisted. The president looked at her funny but nodded and took the envelope from her. He opened it up and pulled out a couple sheets of paper. He looked at the first, crisp note that simply read:

It's not over. Kira's rein is just beginning.

President Obama blinked in surprise. He hadn't been president when this had all first happened nearly three years ago and had ended just before he'd become president.. or so everyone had hoped. He nearly dropped the sheet as a cold chill swept through him and he looked at the page that came with it. There were several names printed very neatly on the lined paper. One of which was the woman in front of him. He saw that beneath her name was a small paragraph that read: 10:20 am Goes into President's office to hand him an envelope Insists that it is important and he must read it. 10:35 am Drops dead of a stroke. The president glanced at a nearby watch and saw the minute hand move. 10:35, he then glanced over to the secret service woman who dropped to the floor like a rock.

"Security!" He yelled, panic was beginning to set in now but he was doing his best to remain calm outwardly even as the other secret service agents rushed in. In a matter of minutes a medic was at the scene and pronounced dead due to a stroke. The medic was then ushered out by security while other members of the secret service were going from room to room to check on the senators on the list. All were dead of either a stroke or heart attack. The White House was in an uproar, though the public was, currently, completely oblivious as to the cause. Hours later, while the public was being calmly informed of the deaths, the president was in the oval office, alone, dialing a number he'd hoped he'd never have to. "W here." A man's voice answered.

"This is the president of the United States."

"Code."

"Alpha75913."

"I'll patch you into L Mr. President." A young boy with disheveled white hair stood looking out over the city. An older man came in, he was a former FBI and one of the few left from those who had been slaughtered during his fight against Light Yagami, who had been parading as L and had been Kira for years. The youth had very nearly ruled the world.

"The president of the United States is on the line."

"Very well, thank you Rester." L replied and moved over to a panel where there was a small headset that would work well, it was set to distort his voice so that he couldn't be identified.

"What can I do for you Mr. President?" He asked calmly.

"Kira's back." It was the last thing L expected to hear and he wondered how it was possible. The strain in the president's voice told him though that there had been clear evidence to support what the man had said.

"Tell me what happened." L replied calmly, he couldn't afford to appear shaken; he pushed aside his own emotions and listened to what the president had to say.

"I'll send someone to collect the pages. I'll find the person responsible Mr. President, don't worry." With that, L ended the phone call.

"I'll send a team to get the pages. Any thing else?"

"No, that will be all Rester." The agent left and L moved over to peer out the window once more. Things had been too quiet and now this. I knew peace wouldn't last... never does... who could it be? Who could take the place of Light? Thinking about Light made him feel angry all over again. Light had killed his idol, the original L and he had hunted Light down ruthlessly. It had been a close one, but his plan had triumphed over Light's if only just. It seemed that the fight was to begin again. He wondered, fleetingly, if this new opponent would be anything like Light or if they would blunder and be easily caught. L dismissed the lather. It wasn't likely, one could hope, but he wasn't going to pin his hopes on something like that just yet. He knew nothing of his opponent, but he didn't think the reverse would be entirely true. He hoped that whoever had taken Light's place didn't have the youth's resources. Somehow, though, he was certain that they had to have something similar as not just anyone could find out who worked for the secret service. That right there was a blatant statement in itself.


	2. Raindrops

Raindrops cascaded slowly down the large window pane. L watched each drop flow down, as if it were a race, but his mind wasn't on the rain or the drops of rain that slid down the window. He was pondering the evidence that was spread on the floor where he could easily see it. He'd been over it dozens of times in the past few days. There were no fingerprints, no hair or fabric fibers, not a single bit of DNA was on the letters that the president of the United States had gotten only a few days ago. There hadn't been any more killings either, at least none reported. He thought over the simple message that had accompanied the Death Note pages. It didn't seem to be mean or hold any hidden meaning. It was simple. Straightforward. Nothing like the previous Kiras he had come up against. Light had loved playing around, had gone completely mad with power. Not this individual. Misa hadn't been obvious as far as personality went, but her reasons for using the Death Note became clear that she'd been Light's puppet as much as that news reporter had been. The one that Light's second puppet, the blindly loyal Mikami, had chosen to spread Kira's beliefs. As moral as they had been, it was simply immoral to think that death was a suitable punishment for the smallest misdeeds such as saying a curse word to someone in the heat of an argument. He wasn't sure about this person just yet. There was too little information to go off and the address that had been given had been a fake. L had traced it only to find it led to an empty plot of land way out in the state of Wisconsin. He knew this Kira was smart and had obviously carefully planned everything because even the post office mark that had been stamped on the envelope had come from Wisconsin. It was only a hunch, but he was almost certain that whoever was behind the deaths and the threat wasn't from that state. He'd no proof of this, but he was certain he'd find the proof; somehow. No fingerprints, no fibers, no DNA; it was obvious that this Kira would be a worthy opponent.

 

 _I'd rather not do a showing in the media, since I've no leads yet and no evidence. Still, doing so might be to my advantage if I can provoke Kira into coming out of hiding._ L weighed the consequences in his mind of appearing in the media against those of choosing to hold out until Kira made another move. No, he decided. It was too soon. He would wait. The president and the rest of the country might not like it, but he had to wait. There was no other option and waiting could bring in a lot of clues if the next to die were active criminals. He'd looked at the profiles of those who had been killed in the white house. All of them had either committed some crime and it had been covered up, or were in the middle of dangerous scandals with other countries. Everything from as simple as being drunk and vulgar in public to as complex as those who were sending over confidential documents over seas. There was nothing else to connect them though and that was a source of frustration for most his team. L only felt irked, but he also felt that when Kira struck again that he or she would have a different reason. That there was a possibility the next targets would have more of a connection and not everyone who'd been doing illegal things or had committed a crime who'd been working in the white house had died. That fact made him wonder. Why had Kira only killed a handful? Why not all of them? A man, somewhere in his thirties, was heading to his car from a grocery store on the outskirts of New York. He wasn't a hardened criminal, but his life as a teenager had been a wild one and he'd been in prison on an account of manslaughter for accidentally sending one of his friends over a cliff, by stumbling into him when all of them had been drunk. His other friends had related the account, but only he had suffered for that night while the other boys had gotten a slap on the wrist. He's spent almost two years in prison. As he drew out his keys he heard a sound no person wants to hear, the sound of a gun cocking. He turned to see a group of four young men with guns.

 

"Don't shoot! I'll give you anything y-you want!" They didn't ask for anything but shoved him into the car and forced him to drive out of town to Maine. To the very same cliff he'd been visiting with his friends years before. It would be weeks before the car was found, smashed and melted. Police managed to salvage nothing but half melted IDs from the five victims in the cars; nothing else had survived.

"This is a load of crock." One policeman said as a tow truck lowered its cable to snag the car.

"Yeah, I agree. Maybe the rumors of Kira being back are true. I mean, we've been after these four gang members for months and here they show up dead; far away from their home turf." Another officer said as he scrawled down notes for the report he knew he'd have to write up when he got back. He'd been sent over by NYPD to gather what evidence he could. It wasn't pretty, he knew, and there were gonna be a lot of unhappy people back in New York once word spread about what had happened.

"L, we have a woman up front who refuses to leave. Says she has to deliver something. Looks just like a letter. She won't give it to staff downstairs. Says she has to give it to someone else, a kid she says. I'm guessing she means you." L frowned slightly, but it vanished before he turned to look at his second. "I suppose I should see what it is then."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous though? I mean, shouldn't we test it for drugs?" Rester asked.

"I believe the letter is likely from Kira. I doubt that Kira intends to kill me with simple drugs; however, I will put on some gloves just in case." Rester nodded and L followed him out of the room to a small waiting room and he went to a drawer where he picked out a pair of latex gloves and checked them for holes before slipping them on. He then followed Rester to the elevator and they went to the first floor. Just as Rester had said, there was a woman waiting just on the other side of the security entrance; a metal detector and x-ray machine. The woman was dressed in a pink trench coat, had black hair and brown eyes. She looked to be in her twenties and was holding the letter in one hand, but he noted that she wore no gloves.

"You! Take the letter!" She said, stepping towards L when she caught sight of him, but there was no malevolence in her tone; merely force. The security officer moved to intercept her but L spoke.

"Relax. I'll take the letter." He stepped forward and took the letter she offered. Two seconds later, before he'd even shifted his gaze to the letter, the woman fell to the floor. Her body spasmed a moment before she lay still. The security officer had moved to check on her as soon as she'd hit the floor but she was dead.

"She's dead."

"Check her for ID and run it into the computer." The officer nodded and rummaged through the woman's pockets, but came up with nothing. L opened the letter carefully and drew it out:

Like the rain, sin covers the earth. Unheeded most times, but there all the same. A drizzle is a mild irritant until it becomes a raging torrent and then humanity cannot stand to be near it. You and I are like two sides of a coin. Striving to save a world that doesn't notice it's drowning in sin. Our methods are different, as the night from the day, but our goal the same. I am the mortal god that the foolish will worship. What are you to them or the rest?

There was no signature. He didn't really need or expect one. His belief about it had been right. The letter was from Kira.

"She doesn't seem to be carrying any identification, sir." The officer said, looking up from the body to L.

"Get her fingerprints then. We'll find out that way."

"Yes, sir." The officer went to do as he was told while Rester stood by L, looking at the message over his shoulder. He'd scanned it quickly.

"We'll need to test it for evidence." L merely nodded. He put the letter back in its envelope and peeled off one glove from the cuff carefully before handing it to Rester who put it on before taking the envelope. L said nothing as he headed back to the elevator and pressed the button for the floor he'd been on. He'd a lot more to think about now.


	3. Drama

It was all over the news. No matter what channel one switched to, it seemed that every show that was on had something to say about Kira. Many voices were raised, some in praise, others in fear, some in stupidity and even still more in hatred. She didn’t say anything as she flipped from channel to channel. Vaguely making mental notes on what was being said, not that she cared really. After a moment she shut off the TV and went back to her computer where she sat down and began to write. Using the various sticky notes for guidance that were stuck on the desk around the flat screen that told of everything on Kira that the various news channels had said since the second murder, or what she believed was the second as someone said that the first murder had been in the white house. She didn’t really concern herself with whether or not that detail was fact as she sat at her computer, writing yet another chapter of the story she was winding about. It had taken her several months of research to learn all she could on the Kira case that had happened what seemed like only last year. Well, in truth, it was. Light had been like a god figure to many when the year 2009 had rolled around. It was 2010 now, nearing the end actually since September had just come to a close and the day to follow would be October 1st. The month with a holiday that was as highly disputed as Christmas in December was. Halloween. Would the holiday have any eventful significance? That was to be seen. There were plenty of blog sites praising Kira, but she didn’t go to them for any references, though she had included some of them within her story. A story she had called Years of the Death God: The Kira Cases. She wondered what it was that would cause a young boy, like Light Yagami, who had been a genius in high school, to accept such a thing as the Death Note when he’d found it. Had he actually found it or had it been given to him? That was something of speculation on the part of many. It didn’t matter to her. That aspect she’d left out of her book, it wasn’t important how he’d managed to get ahold of such a notebook. The only important part was that he’d gotten it. She was aware that Light had, for the most part, been a normal Japanese boy, he’d been friendly enough, caring, what most people expected from others. He’d not had any enemies in school or outside of school. Yet, when he’d figured out what the book was he’d kept it, used it, had played the dangerous game of cat and mouse with the police for nearly ... what was it... four years? six? She dismissed the question as she had already gotten past that part. She studied what she’d written from what the news channels had said: It’s begun again, some are openly for Kira while the brave few publicly say they are against. Where this will go, is hard to say. The gender and whereabouts of the new Kira have not yet been revealed and even all of my connections and research has not yielded much more information on this new Kira than the news has already said. Some say there has been one murder, some say two. I say that there have been more than that, whether or not the public is aware of these murders is hard to say.   
  
All of the victims that had been reported on the news had been rather unusual. The majority of the deaths hadn’t been heart attacks like with the last Kira. No, each death had been different from the last so it was very hard to tell if the victims were being killed by Kira or if it was truly just accident that had taken their lives. There hadn’t been mass deaths either, but police reported that there was sufficient evidence to suggest Kira’s hand in the deaths. The evidence ranged from strange symbols appearing on the scene of the death in paint or some other form of ink to the strange notes written by the victims. The last one having said:   
  
Finally things are coming to a head.  
Is this truly evil? Is it justice?  
No one is sure of anything.  
Do we deserve this?  
Maybe.  
Eventually, everyone faces death.  
  
  
L stood, staring at that same piece. The message on it was clear, it was just one of several “poems” he’d received from various deaths. Putting them all together, it read:

  
Can You Find Me  
  
It was a taunt to him. Just as Light had done to his predecessor. Even though this was obviously planned out and very carefully, L had his doubts about this new Kira. There seemed to be no motive behind what they were doing. No reason. It didn’t seem that the person was after power, that much was obvious from the lack of victims. They didn’t seem insane, as Light had come to be, as there was no evidence that this Kira believed themselves a god. Quite the contrary in fact. They weren’t after money either. The victims had ranged too far and wide and very few of them had been very rich. No company had gained or lost anything suddenly so it was obvious this person wasn’t connected to a big company, as one of Light’s puppets had once been. Why did this Kira kill? Was it, as one of the previous writings had indicated, an attempt at justice? A poor sense of justice, for what human had the right to decide when another would die? At least that was his thought just then. Even so, he didn’t fault that this was a form of justice in a sense. Light had gained a rather twisted sense of justice over time, driven mad by his killing and the obsession with his game against L’s predecessor that had led to a final showdown between the two with Kira emerging the victor. He had even named himself L to be in the best position; basically, the devil playing at being the shepherd. Even sure of this, of his conclusions on some of the aspects he assumed was this Kira’s personality, he still knew nothing for sure and had no evidence that would tell him where to find the one who was dealing out deaths like one dealt greeting cards.


	4. Holiday Greetings

L stood watching the snow fall. For months on end there had been no evidence of any deaths by Kira. In fact, there'd been no real significant attacks. A few "close calls" that had the police and authorities investigating. Every time there was a close call or something that seemed even remotely to be fatal the police had jumped on it for months on end. L had been sent hundreds of reports, but no word from Kira, no sign that the new Kira was even remotely responsible for any of the deaths. In fact, most of the deaths were patients who had been ill long before Kira had returned. So... why? Everyone had been on edge, especially during Halloween, but there had actually been no deaths reported on Halloween. Even usual pranksters had given up their holiday pranks for fear of Kira. No one had died. No one had heard so much as a peep. It was making the rest of L's team a bit restless. They wanted something to happen, anything, just something to give them another piece of the puzzle. It was a contradiction, of course, because no one wanted anyone else to die really. Thanksgiving came and went without incident, oh there were the usual holiday fires and what not, but no deaths. Still, the public lived in fear. L began to wonder what sort of person this new Kira was. They were smart, obviously, resourceful if they'd managed to get a note to the President of the United States, which had been the start of a whole new wave of panic. Now Christmas, one of the most joyous holidays of the year, was close at hand. L didn't really see the snow that fell just outside his window. It wasn't something new to him really, but there was something almost... sinister about the silently falling snow. He wondered if Kira was watching it now. If they saw anything sinister in it... anything dark.... or if they merely saw the beauty that snow could bring. Did they see it as purity? As something untouched? Though snow was never really pure, L knew that snow, like everything else that fell from the sky, would be filled with air pollutants as a result of lack of care of the planet.  
  
The first snowflake gently fell before the dark eyes of the figure. Watching with fascination, the eyes shifting between a dark green and almost brown. An ugly sort of color almost.  _Soon, winter will begin._  Drawing eyes away from the snowflake, the bundled up figure walked into the store. The thought of the notebook back home not crossing their mind as they walked through the isles, watching people bustle around each other with a sense of tension. Yes, there was tension here, people watching each other as if they expected the next person they ran into would kill them. Someone nearly toppled the figure over, a young teenager who had been staring a little warily at someone else and hadn't seen them.   
  
"S-s-sorry." He said hurriedly, holding out a hand. There was obvious tension and worry in the youth's eyes, but that didn't matter. He wasn't going to be the next target just for that. No, that wasn't the right sort of reason to kill.  
  
"Don't worry about it." A genuine smile seemed to make the young man look a little relieved before he hurried off, his mind elsewhere once again. Chuckling inwardly at the young man's reaction, Kira set off once more to find some gifts for Christmas. Regardless of what anyone may think, a true "savior" as a bunch of nuts were calling Kira, was benevolent, not some nut who threatened to kill everyone who didn't act right. After all, there was a line that, if crossed, would mean insanity. There was no doubt in this Kira's mind that the first Kiras had failed miserably because they had been greedy, Light Yagami had gone insane with having the power in his attempt to "clean up" the world. Misa... well, she wasn't insane or greedy, just plain stupid really. Kiyomi Takada, who had only been a pawn, had been blindly in love with Light and had a bad view of real justice... just as Light had... and the other "Kiras?" Well, they'd been driven by greed or some other vice. Light's pawn, something... Mikami... the names didn't matter too much anymore since they were mostly dead now... had just been someone looking for revenge against the world when "doing the right thing" had meant being punished rather than rewarded. That wasn't the case here. There was no money involved, power wasn't a motive, nor greed. There was no thoughts of being immortal, of the power of death the figure held when writing in the notebook. No, the new Kira was out to help people shape up, to clean up the worst of the worst who deserved punishment for the crimes they dared to even THINK to commit. There was definitely darkness in this world and this time Kira was out to smite those who deserved it, those the law couldn't touch for one reason or another, who were guilty of their crimes but had not been punished because of a flaw in the legal system. Kira was well versed in this sort of thing and knew good and well that Kira was seen by L and the like as a "vigilante" as the term would fit to anyone who took the law into their own hands. 

 

  
So far though, there hadn't been a death by the notebook since just before Halloween. It would confuse L and the others, frustrate them. That was why there was that long spell.  _I need a break anyway. Too much killing will mess with my mind. Plus it's not really work, not something I HAVE to do... just a .... hobby of sorts I guess. Though hobby isn't quite the right word for it. Well, nevertheless... I will only kill when it calls for it. Otherwise I'm no better than the rest of them and I certainly am not evil. I won't become evil. I don't want to be evil. I just want to right a few wrongs in this world. Can't fix everything with death, but it can do some good at least. Especially when the ones you target are those who need punished, who got away without punishment and are the individuals who will strike again and again._  
  
L turned around when he noticed movement in the window, indicating someone was in the room. It was Watari. He was holding a simple white envelope with nothing more than a very elaborately decorated L on the front.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"No one knows." L pulled on some gloves then took the envelope and pulled out a card with a Santa Claus on the front.  
  
"A Christmas card." He stared at it a moment then opened it. The tune "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" began playing without the words. There was decorated red letters on the card that read: Wishing you the best of holiday cheer.   
  
Beneath the red lettering, in black ink, were the simple words: Merry Christmas.  
  
It wasn't signed. L handed it and the envelope to Watari.  
  
"Have it fingerprinted, DNA tested and such. I've little doubt it was sent from Kira. Even if it's not signed." L wasn't sure why, but something about the card had automatically made him suspect as much. Watari said little and left with the card in hand to have it tested. _Why would Kira send me a Christmas card? What's the point? Are they trying to provoke me or is it meant to make me think there's a point? To make me wonder?_ Wonder he did, on the possible significance of the words and the card. Whether it meant something or not. It seemed odd to send such a thing. Even so, could it be as harmless as it seemed even if it did come from Kira?


	5. Sound of Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the poem I have included is MINE. I wrote it originally Jan. 19,2011 and I would appreciate it if no one steals it. If you would like to use it yourself for your own purposes give me credit! Otherwise it's stealing! Also, the name of this chapter is the name of the poem.

After the holiday card, there had been nothing else from Kira. No one had dropped dead on New Years that couldn't be explained and those who had been reported dead, none were criminals and had perfectly clean records. L had already deduced that this new Kira was not going to kill the innocent. So they were not responsible for any deaths then, so far no criminals had dropped dead before the day they were meant to be executed or in any manner other than which had been designated for them by the government. Where was Kira? What were they thinking? Why had there been such silence from them now? It was as if Kira them self had dropped dead, but that was too much to hope for at this point. All was still, all was quiet. Today was a cold day like any other in January, but L was feeling just a little frustrated. Kira had seemed to all but up and disappear, but that hadn't made anyone relax their guard yet. It was, on the streets, much like that year that he remembered was the first time he'd come forth as the previous L's successor. How much did Kira actually know about him? Obviously Kira knew where to find him, but lacked the evidence to kill him. One needed to know the target's name and face. That was his advantage, but that was also Kira's at this point. There had been about as much evidence to identify Kira as there would be to identify him. This, of course, he knew was practically impossible. Everyone was in the system, with the exception of himself. His real name, only ever once written, had been burnt up when they had burned the false Death Note along with the real ones. L's name was a very highly guarded secret, always had been since the very first L.   
  
Standing before an audience, the voice that spoke was soft and gentle as the poem was read. No one would know that behind the kind eyes and gentle smile was the mind of someone who had committed murder just by writing down a few people's names in a simple black notebook and thinking of their faces while doing so. A mind that was brilliant and so far had been a match for the famous L. The poem, of course, was one that had been made up the day before, but there was no hesitation:  
  
Silence.  
What is the sound of silence?  
Can anyone tell me?  
  
What is the sound of a tear drop?  
What is the sound of a heart breaking?  
The sound of a soul being shattered?  
  
Who can describe these to me?  
Who can tell me the sound of vengeance?  
Of hatred stirring in the heart?  
  
The sound of evil creeping in the night?  
The sound of goodness in a person's heart?  
This is the sound of silence.  
  
The sound of a glance shared.  
The sound of one hand clapping.  
The sound of the tree falling when there is no one to hear.  
  
The sound of silence lives in us all.  
Ever present.  
Ever biding.  
  
Tell me, if you think you can.  
Describe to me in words.  
What is the sound of silence?   
  
Applause followed the short silence when the poem was done. A slight smiled played across the features of the speaker. There was no real pride in the work done. Ever the recluse, knowing rejection in its subtle form all too well, knowing that those who clapped did so only because it would be impolite to do otherwise, because they were too concerned with what anyone else around them would think of them if they did not clap. It was never the quality of the work. Never had been, at least that had been reality since the moment the genius mind had emerged at the young age of fourteen. A mind that was dark with tortures from peers, of never having friends who truly knew or understood. Of knowing too well of the farce that was human life, that all but the most innocent of children played the moment they passed a certain age. Knew how things really were in life. Everything, and yet nothing, was real for everything was all in the mind. Perception was everything. Everything was perception. Not that it mattered in the scheme of things. For life did not last forever. One died eventually, the place, time and reason, were always out of the hands of the one who died. Why did it seem to matter so much who killed someone who did evil things? Shaking the thoughts away and putting away the sheet of paper, the rest of the evening was spent listening to the creations of others. Of wondering what the next move should be. For "Kira" had been inactive for many months now. There was holidays, family to think of. After all, if one didn't have family, one had nothing at all.


	6. The Race

The TV flickered from one channel to another before settling on the news as the President of the United States stepped forward to make a speech.  _Trying to cover your butt are you Mr. President? I wonder what you will have to say about me._  The first black President stepped up to the podium and began his speech as the flashes against his skin made it clear that there were photographers some distance away, photographing this event for whatever reason.  
  
"It has been brought to my attention that many countries think that we, the United States, would fold under the rumors of Kira. A killer without a face, without a real identify and whose name is a slander of a language from across the seas. I am here to say today that we have not backed down when the terrorists destroyed our towers a few years ago. We did not bow to terrorists, our jails are full of murderers, rapists and the like and has been since our forefathers first decided that any who broke the law would be set behind bars. Locked up. It is not an issue on whether or not we will stand behind or against Kira, but whether or not we will stand behind our children. To do what is right for their future."  
  
"Figures. Charismatic coward." Kira chuckled with bland amusement, never having been one to vote in the current president and had been rather upset he had office. If anything, better a woman than this man.  
  
"We will stand, as a party, as a people, as a nation, behind our children. Make this a world for them to live in ourselves. A world they will want to live in."   
  
"Foolish man." L muttered, also listening to the ramblings of the president. He wasn't sure who was worse, this president who currently held power or Kira. Which was really worse? A killer who was trying to wipe out crime by killing people without conscious thought of it or a charismatic president who was vainly working to correct his own mistakes and the mistakes of those who had come before him, but without having the experience or the right know how. The nation, as a whole, was suffering and the government was partially to blame. L didn't expect to find any support from this president who seemed merely to be a puppet who was trying to make everyone "equal," a thing that had never been done before and was beyond the reach of anyone. L toyed with the small finger puppets he'd made of himself, Kira, of the notebook and, of course, his current team. He had just three members who were close. Four of them trying to hunt down one person, one killer. It was turning into quite the task and he could see that things were falling back to the way they had been before. It was only a matter of time really. He needed to find Kira, to discover who they were. The why didn't matter so much, but he was curious as to that. The current Kira had made it clear they weren't doing it to be worshiped as a god as Light had done, weren't doing it under the influence of another as Mikami nor because of another, like Misa and unlike the business man, Higuchi, who had been driven by greed when using the Death Note. No, the reasons behind the Kira weren't for themselves. Especially not if the note that had been sent to L personally was to be believed.  
  
According to that letter, Kira was trying to rid the planet of evil. Trying to play god in this act, yet not wanting to be god. Not wanting to be worshiped. It was, intriguing. 'Yes... that's the right word for it. How can you know though? To whose standards is right and wrong decided? Your own? or are you following religious rules to life?' L wondered staring at the figures with a rather vacant like expression. It was an expression that Rester, who worked as Watari now, would know well. It meant that he was off deep in thought. Considering all the angles. Considering the angles of this Kira's motives was difficult indeed. Especially since they seemed to be so good in hiding. They didn't flaunt their power and the deaths, even the very first, were too far spread out to really pinpoint any one area as to where they lived, or were staying, or whatever. The times were sporadic as well, so one couldn't tell if Kira was a student, or not. Light Yagami had been a student in the beginning. Misa had been a young star... Mikami had been a lawyer, and Higuchi had been a high ranking business man. None of them really had anything in common except for one thing. They had all, at one time, been Kira. Had killed using a Death Note and had done so knowing that they were killing. They had known the consequences of their actions. This Kira was likely no different in that they knew they were killing. That, to L, made them a murderer. A common criminal. Evil.


	7. The Hand That Beckons

_Stupid president... time to end this hypocrisy._  It took little time to write it all out, but of course it couldn't be an instant death, there'd be no gratification in that. After all, this man had done a lot of damage. It was only right that he suffer for it. In the middle of the speech the broadcast cut off and a voice came over the static, a scrambled voice that was a mockery of the one L used.  
  
"I am Kira." People all over the nation were watching this broadcast and three was no doubt that L was among them.  
  
"Mr. President! You might want to see this!" One reporter said, dragging in a TV from another room. Obama paused in his speech to look at the fuzzy TV. There was silence as the voice came over loud and clear.  
  
"You might wish me to prove that I am Kira. That I am the one who has been doing the killing. In exactly one hour this country, this nation, will be free of the hypocrisy that you, Mr. President, have made of it. One hour and your fate is sealed. You have lied and cheated the people of this country. Swayed them with promises you have not even come CLOSE to fulfilling except in ways to line the pockets of those who already have more than enough and to build yourself up by placing around you those you know in power rather those who deserve it. Your foolishness now has cost you your life. Don't worry though, I will spare the lives of your cabinet members if they prove to be better people than you. If they can prove that they can actually do their jobs rather than just being a bunch of "yes" men and women." L was watching the broadcast all right, he noticed that somehow, where ever the hack had to be coming from it - like the president's line of channel - was cutting into every show there was currently playing across the nation.   
  
"Some of you might think I'm evil. You are blind to my purpose, after all, only a truly strong individual can kill without going insane. The first Kira was weak, drunk with this power that I now hold. The one called L over powered him because of his arrogance, because he let slip too much information to the police and the original L whom he managed to kill. Of course the police and Interpol wouldn't want you to know that the original L was killed or anyone for that matter. They're so scared of admitting their own mortality, that the famous L has a weakness. I am not immortal. I am not a god. You are free to think of me as you wish, but my goal is to help purify a land full of the selfish, immoral people. I answer only to the TRUE God of this world." There was a long pause. L clinched one fist. How had Kira known about all that? How was it possible? Just WHO was this person? How could they know so much about a case even he had once had trouble finding traces of?  
  
"Poor L. Probably wondering how I could know so much. Yes, he's probably thinking about checking the backgrounds of all those who were on the original case just to see if it isn't someone in the Japanese Police. To make sure that it's not one of them who's picked up the notebook. Search all you like L, but while I did get my information from the police, I'm not who you think. I have no intention of ever confronting you face-to-face, though that might happen one day you will likely never know it. I am not a confrontational person. I don't care to play this game of "good guy/bad guy" with you or with anyone else. Judgement is coming soon enough, I am merely an angel of death, taking those who have had the chance to redeem themselves and refuse. If you want to chase me, good luck." There was dead silence even after the broadcast had ended, leaving the president staring at the scene before glancing at a nearby clock.  
  
"I'm not sure what to say to that. It seems Kira has their own agenda here. The United States will still support L who is currently hunting down this killer. I advise - " The president staggered a little, glancing at the clock.  _Time's up._ Millions of people could only watch with growing horror as the president toppled over and TV stations all around the world began switching channels for the sake of their viewers, but the damage was done. The United States had just lost its president to Kira. A cry of astonishment of this was not just in the United States, however, as leaders all around the world were falling into the hands of death. Some in their sleep, others in the middle of various tasks. Most of them before the eyes of cameras. A cry went up around the world at this seeming injustice, but while some cried out for Kira to be killed for throwing the world into chaos, others cheered Kira on. Denouncing the evils of every world leader that had been killed just one hour apart each.


	8. The Storm

L merely stood watching the world outside his window. In less than eight hours, the entire world had been thrown in to chaos. Kira was responsible. The death of world leaders around the world had sent up a cry from every major nation. Right now every government was scrambling for some semblance of control. What was the point of that?  _Kira has proclaimed they don't want to rule and yet... killed every world leader..._  L consider this. It was a very bold move. Had Light done it then it would have been obvious that, as Kira, he meant to rule the world, but this Kira, whoever they were, wasn't like that. Whoever the new Kira was, they seemed to have a steady hand. He shifted from his position at the window it sit down in front of a small mat. On it was a small figure of Kira at one end, with a tiny notebook next to the figure though the tiny figure was cloaked since L didn't even know if Kira was male or female yet and the message on TV had sounded like a mix between a male and female's voice, making it all that more hard to distinguish. On the other side of the board was L with figures of his most trusted followers, original members of the SPK.   
  
It was set up much like a game of chess or go might be. L's team on one side. Kira on the other. Though having more members didn't seem to have brought him any luck and there didn't seem to be any indication in the records of any living people that would suggest where Kira was now or who they were. It was as if Kira them self was merely a Shinigami, a God of Death, who had come to Earth to wreak havoc. No, that wasn't it. Kira was human, of that L was sure. Humans made mistakes, it would only be a matter of time before this Kira did. The hard part would be waiting though as the world was crumbling all around him and soon, he'd no doubt of this, he would become an outlaw to those who supported Kira. This had happened all before, when Light had been around. The Kira that had proceeded him had been just as clever, but he'd found her out too. This new Kira, however, seemed to be more cautious. Had they, perhaps, had the Death Note the same time as the last Kira? Was it possible that not all the deaths were by her? That by some chance some of the deaths had been by this new Kira? It didn't make much sense if that were the case, but it did seem very logical. This Kira obviously didn't seem to have accomplices and if that were true then it was likely that if they'd had the notebook during the last Kira's reign then they would have waited.  
  
At least at this point he still, like Kira, was unknown. His face was known to a select few and that select few knew his real name and his face. He'd already ruled them out as being Kira though since if any of them had been he'd already be dead by now. No, it wasn't any of the SPK nor of the few Japanese Police who had been working under the L that had proceeded him. Needing time to think on his next move, L dumped out a bucket of dice and began to stack them. As the moments went by he'd constructed a whole city from the dice, various skyscrapers and such that resembled those of New York City, some from other various major cities. As he continued building his mind went over all the events that had happened and what might be done to stop this new Kira. So far his mind kept circling back to the same point he'd already come to. That there was nothing to do but wait. Wait and see if Kira would make another move against him in this deadly game of chess, to see who was more cunning; heedless of the storm that whipped up outside his window. It was that time of the season after all, but he was safe enough inside. Safe, yes.... for now. For the storm that brewed in the hearts of those outside his window... those storms would be more dangerous to deal with. There was little doubt things were going to get ugly unless he could find Kira, and quickly. Things were already bad. He could only hope that soon Kira would make a mistake, one that would give him a clue as to how to move closer towards the phantom that was Kira.


	9. A Key in Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask... yes I'm a nerd for the National Treasure movies. If you want to decipher this yourself, here's your document: 
> 
> http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/declaration-of-independence/text.html
> 
>  
> 
> For those who don't want to do the work, I'll have the thing decrypted for you in the bottom note.

A normal person would have paced, would have raged or simply given up in despair and hopelessness. L was not a normal person, however. The youth idly stacked some dice into a miniature scale model of New York City as it had once been years before, it didn't mean anything nor would it help him solve the case, but it did help him think. Better than listening to all those mindless TV stations that were now showing Kira shows, mindless, fearful pawns of people who wanted to live and cheered Kira on in hopes that they and their families would be safe if they showed open support. They were fools, of course. This Kira didn't kill often, and for no reason either. Certainly not for just any crime. Criminals who did petty things, like caught stealing something or had been put in jail for having outstanding parking tickets were left alone. Even those who seemed to have been framed for crimes they didn't commit were left safe. It seemed that whoever Kira was, they were not just an every day person. Whoever was doing the killing was a rather excellent detective themselves. More so than the average person who went into the business, killing the guilty after the evidence had proven such, but not touching those who were jailed just because the evidence, or the people, that was against the person over ruled a few pieces of evidence that didn't prove the person was guilty. Those who have the "if" sort of evidence that didn't make any sense... like a timing was wrong... where a person had proof of being somewhere else while the crime had been committed by a murderer. There were also cases that had been thrown out due to lack of evidence and those who were being judged had been killed after writing confession notes and stating evidence that proved they had been guilty that had either been messed up by clumsy detectives or simply over looked.   
  
Such a case had been the last victim of Kira. The man had killed his wife for insurance money, there hadn't been any sign he was guilty as the murder had been committed when he hadn't been at home, but she had. According to the dead man's confession, he'd set up a deadly trap for her and then had come home during his lunch break to dismantle the trap and clean up everything but the knife that had been in her. With no fingerprints on it, no one could be suspected and there had been traces of a break in... the man had seen to that when he'd come in just to throw off police and had trashed nearly half of his house to make it look like a botched robbery. That wasn't what he was thinking about though. There was no real connection to it and the recent card he'd received from Kira. It was almost like a sort of taunt, just like the others before but there was something about this one that nagged at his mind. Something that just seemed familiar about the phrasing in certain parts:  
  
A Key in silence   
Shall I revel to you  
An ancient thing  
Yet also new  
  
A edict to change history  
From 13 to 50, resolute  
Mr. Matlock can't offend  
To raise the flag to salute  
  
  
What was even more strange was that there was the sets of numbers that accompanied it:   
  
1-1-1      3-5-4       15-1-1      24-1-2      26-5-1      59-10-6       70-4-1       74-5-5       78-11-1   
1-6-1      3-8-1       15-7-6      24-2-1      26-6-1      60-1-7         71-2-10     74-12-3     80-3-5  
1-7-1      4-5-1       15-9-2      24-10-2    27-2-4      61-7-3         71-7-4       75-1-2       80-4-1  
1-7-4      4-8-3       16-1-2      24-12-2    27-6-6      61-11-1       71-8-2       76-5-7       80-15-1  
2-3-1      6-7-6       18-8-2      24-13-5    28-4-2      61-12-2       72-8-5       76-8-1       82-2-1  
2-3-4      6-9-1       19-1-2      25-2-3      28-8-3      62-12-6       72-9-2       77-7-4       88-1-8  
2-6-4      6-9-2       19-6-2      25-6-3      28-9-3      62-15-6       73-3-1       78-1-2       88-3-3  
2-8-7      7-8-5       22-11-4    28-1-3      28-10-2    69-2-6         73-4-4       78-3-2  
2-11-6    8-7-5       23-8-4      25-12-2    59-3-1      69-6-4         73-12-2     78-4-2   
2-13-1    13-3-1     23-13-3    25-13-1    59-7-2      69-9-1         74-2-2       78-9-3  
  
  
They weren't straight on the paper either, typed from the look of things. Whoever had typed it had obviously been in a hurry. Too much of one to put them in straight lines. He'd seen this code before and knew what it was. He was having someone else work on it. Had even told them that the code would go with the Declaration of Independence. He didn't think on who he sent as he put the last piece on what was to be a replica of the Statue of Liberty that he'd done with some paper once having finished his model of the city. Now the city itself lay at his feet. For a moment he studied it, as if it could provide the answers to the riddle that seemed to be Kira. As if it could provide clues. Apparently this Kira liked riddles, that much was certain and they were as good at them as they seemed to be at hiding and "playing detective." Knowing this, however, didn't put him any closer to identifying Kira, or did it? He thought over that before sauntering over to a computer and setting down in the chair, sitting on his heels like his predecessor had done, instead of on his bottom. He then began doing a file search of those who had a history of favoring puzzles and games. Perhaps it would turn up a lead at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER: 
> 
> When we meet   
> as rivals will  
> think not of evil
> 
> Though I take  
> I also give  
> Be glad of that
> 
> That we both do live


End file.
